Developer makes £17m ‘100% affordable housing’ deal with social housing provider
A housebuilding company has announced plans to sell 73 homes set to be built at a site in Wakefield to a social housing provider for £17.4m.
Avant Homes said it was the first ‘100 per cent housing deal’ the firm had struck with Vico Homes, formerly Wakefield District Housing.
In April, Wakefield Council approved proposals to build the homes on farmland off Lingwell Gate Lane in Lofthouse.
The two-hectare site was removed from the green belt and allocated for housing when the council introduced a new Local Plan in 2024.
The site is opposite Junction 41 Industrial Estate and next to the Virginia Close and Virginia Court housing developments.
It is also close to protected grazing land, a railway line and the Lofthouse Colliery nature reserve.
The development, expected to be completed by 2028, includes building accessible bungalows and a range of two, three and four-bedroom detached and semi-detached properties.
Avant said the homes would be offered to customers on a “predominantly social rent basis”, with some rent-to-buy and shared ownership homes also available.
Delivery of the scheme is being made possible by grant funding from Homes England’s £27b funding programme.
It forms part of the UK government’s £39b investment to deliver more social and affordable housing over the next ten years.
Phil Lacey, Avant’s group head of affordable housing delivery, said: “This 100 per cent affordable housing deal with Vico Homes reflects our commitment to delivering quality, energy-efficient new homes for the people who need them most.
“Our multi-tenure strategy is underpinned by creating long-term partnerships with social housing providers to support in the delivery of further affordable homes.
“The relationship developed with Vico Homes is an excellent example of this and we look forward to continuing this partnership to explore new opportunities together across the Yorkshire region.”
Joel Owen, development director at Vico Homes, added: “These new energy-efficient homes will make a real difference for people and families in Wakefield and are a major step forward in our ambition to deliver 10,000 new high-quality affordable homes over the next ten years across Yorkshire.”
Planners approved the scheme earlier this year despite objections from 44 people.
Some residents raised concerns about the potential impact on wildlife habitats and the loss of green space in the area.
It was also claimed future residents would be affected by noise from the nearby industrial estate.
However, a planning officer’s report said the scheme was “considered to constitute sustainable development” and ruled the development to be “acceptable in principle”.